Conor McGregor will go down as one of the most iconic figures the sport of mixed martial arts has ever seen, but questions are beginning to surface regarding his ability to compete at the highest level. A former MMA champion and UFC vet revealed an eye-opening fact about the Irishman's record in the cage.
After playing a huge part in the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter, 'The Notorious' is expected to step into the octagon against dangerous lightweight Michael Chandler. Episode 1 of the reality TV show was released on Tuesday and antics are beginning to show on both sides, which makes for an interesting build-up to their eventual bout.
While discussing McGregor's imminent return to the cage with Daniel Cormier, former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren made the shocking revelation about the Dublin native, saying:
"Why [would Matt Brown not be a good fight for McGregor]? Why? I got a crazy stat for you. Who is the last person Conor McGregor has beaten in the UFC that is not currently retired [not in the UFC anymore]?... Dustin Poirier, 2014 was the last person Conor McGregor has beaten who's still in the UFC. This guy's one and three in the last six years... We haven't seen him fight, he might not beat Matt Brown... When was the last time you seen a training video of Conor McGregor?... We don't have to consider him a really elite fighter and he needs to prove that to us again."
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
There was a recent uproar from fans that despite not winning in a notable fight since 2016, Conor McGregor was still ranked in the top 15 at lightweight, though that has since changed.
All of Conor McGregor's wins after the 2014 Dustin Poirier bout
Despite winning six fights following his impressive knockout of Dustin Poirier, sensationally not one of McGregor's victories remains in the UFC.
A second-round finish of Dennis Siver started off the superstar's 2015, a year which also included interim and undisputed title wins over Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo—both of which are currently outside of the UFC but still competing in combat sports.
A rematch win over Nate Diaz followed, though the Stockton native left the promotion and is now chasing big fights elsewhere. In what is considered his greatest performance of all time, McGregor finished Eddie Alvarez and four years later beat Donald Cerrone.